Real Madrid repeat 2018 UCL final result as Vinicius Jr HUMBLES Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds suffered a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the first leg of their UCL quarter-final tie at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Tuesday night. A brace from Vinicius Jr and a first-half goal from Marco Asensio were enough to hand the 13-time European champions the victory in the first leg despite Mo Salah grabbing an away goal for the Reds. The tie is now set up for a fascinating second leg clash between the two European giants at Anfield next week.

Real Madrid vs Liverpool highlights: Vinicius Jr goals vs Liverpool hand Los Blancos advantage ahead of Anfield game

The UCL quarter-final first leg clash between the two clubs on Tuesday was the first since they met in the 2018 UCL final, in which the Reds famously lost 3-1 after two mistakes from goalkeeper Loris Karius. Although Liverpool were out for revenge, they looked sloppy in the first period and struggled to create much against Real Madrid who controlled the tempo of the game in the first half. The visitors fell behind just before the hour mark when Vinicius Jr finished well following an inch-perfect long-range pass from midfielder Toni Kroos.

Zinedine Zidane’s side then took a two-goal advantage into the break when Marco Asensio pounced on a horrendous defensive error by Trent Alexander-Arnold. The English right-back headed his clearance into the path of Asensio, who knocked the ball over Alisson and into the net. Liverpool brought on Thiago for surprise starter Keita before the break as the Guinea midfielder was clearly struggling to adapt to the pace of the game.

Klopp’s men began the second half with a bit more intent and got themselves back into the contest just five minutes after the restart as Mo Salah finished from close range. However, Los Blancos restored their two-goal lead in the 64th minute when Vinicius grabbed his second of the night.

Although Liverpool continued to chase yet another away goal, Madrid’s defence stood firm in the absence of the star centre-back duo of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos. Here are the player ratings for Real Madrid vs Liverpool.

Real Madrid player ratings:

Courtois - 7

Vazquez - 7

Militao - 8

Nacho - 7

Mendy - 8

Casemiro - 7

Kroos - 9

Modric -  8

Asensio - 8

Vinicius - 9

Benzema - 7

Substitutes: Valverde - 7, Rodrygo - 5

Liverpool player ratings:

Alisson – 6

Alexander-Arnold - 5

Phillips - 6

Kabak - 6

Robertson - 7

Fabinho - 7

Keita - 4

Wijnaldum - 7

Mane - 6

Salah - 8

Jota - 7

Substitutes: Thiago - 6, Shaqiri - 5, Firmino - 5

 

 

Image Credits - Real Madrid Twitter